Josh Smith signed to the Detroit Pistons last offseason as their marquee free agent. He was supposed to be the final piece in their personal Big Three with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. However, all three were too big to be on the court at the same time and the team struggled yet again as a result. Now, new head coach Stan Van Gundy is realizing someone has to go and Smith might be the odd man out.
The Pistons have been attempting to move either Smith or Monroe for most of the offseason. Smith is in the first year of a four-year, $54 million contract while Monroe is a restrict free agent this offseason. Both are proving very difficult to move as no one wants Smith's contract and Monroe is too inconsistent. However, someone has to leave and trade talks around Smith are heating up once again.
According to ESPN.com, the Pistons and Sacramento Kings are re-negotiating a trade for Smith. The Kings are still very interested in acquiring the small forward to pair alongside DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, the issue is whether or not they have the right players to make a move. The Pistons are desperate to get a deal done, but will not accept just anything in return. ESPN reports that the Kings are prepared to offer Jason Thompson and either Derrick Williams or Jason Terry in the trade.
The trade would be a gamble for the Kings considering the salary they would be taking on. There is no guarantee Smith would work alongside Cousins and Gay considering the weaknesses he showed in Detroit, but the team is committed to the idea. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive likes to make big moves in free agency and is reportedly under the belief that Smith could help bring in Rajon Rondo next offseason considering how close the two players are. Right now, that is a longshot at best.
Sacramento prefers to include Terry in the deal over Williams. The veteran could end up being released altogether if a deal is not found. He recently made headlines for calling out Cousins and Gay. Considering those are the two biggest stars on the Kings roster, his comments were likely not taken well.
The Pistons will continue to negotiate this deal since trade talks for Monroe are going nowhere. Detroit attempted to put together a sign-and-trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the team signed Chris Kaman instead which ended those talks. The Smith deal might be their best option.
